#1. The Coolness Factor
The breeze has easy access to your scalp. No product gumming up the works. You’re not pushing a mop of hair out of your face while exercising. Yes, it’s cliche (“I cut my hair because it’s too hot out”) but you might be surprised how big of a difference this makes during the summer.
#2. The Coolness Factor
Look, say your features are unfairly… harmless(?) looking. Despite your personality & accomplishments, when people first meet you, their first impression is that you’re an overgrown Christopher Robin. Anything but intriguing. You don’t want to cut your hair for strangers, far from it, but a short buzz hardly ever looks as “safe” as a conservative side-part.
#3. There’s value in consistency.
It’s hard, really hard for this hairstyle to not at least look good. Great? Maybe not. But it’ll always look good. You get out of the shower and… there it is. Is good 100% of the time better than great 65% of the time?
#4. It can project confidence
You can’t hide behind anything. A lot of guys wear baseball caps all the time because they like to hide their hair, their eyes, or both. The same can be said for longer hairstyles. They can distract from the face. A close buzz = there you are. And even if you might not be Brad Pitt from the neck up, embracing your features shows you’re comfortable with yourself.
#5. It looks oddly good on someone well dressed
It’s a clash for sure, but a good one. Combining a no nonsense haircut with an outfit that appears to have had some effort put into it makes people take notice, without seeing you as a peacock.
#6. It’ll be a good preview of what you’ll look like bald
25% of men begin balding by age 30. Fire it before it quits on you. A lot of guys spend way too much time worrying about hair loss. You don’t have to bic it, but getting a sneak preview of what it might look like, then realizing it’s not so bad, might help.
#7. You’ll appreciate your normal haircut more
Sure, this is the worst case scenario: you buzz it… and don’t like it. Maybe you actively dislike it (give it a few days, you’ll be surprised how it’ll, uh, grow on you). Or, maybe you really like it for the warmer months, and then once it grows back out, your old haircut looks that much better. If the grass is always greener, sometimes it’s not bad to hop over the fence.
Been sporting a #2 buzz on top faded to a #0 on the sides for the last 7 years. Clean, simple, and I don’t have to worry about it getting messed up ever. I do tend to get a haircut ($10) every two weeks or so to keep it looking sharp, but that cost is offset by not needing to buy any hair product. I also only need to use a dime size splash of shampoo.
Alternatively, you can do a #1 all around but trying to trim behind the ears and “lining up” the rear took me forever (two mirrors, and patience) and it didn’t look as nice as the $10 haircut. It’s also very relaxing sitting in the chair with your eyes closed. However, I wouldn’t recommend closing your eyes if its your first time with a new barber!
I adopted a buzz cut when it became apparent that I was a reluctant member of the 25%. It was a blow to the ego, but I used the new haircut as a motivation to start exercising and improve my diet.
I did an annual summer buzz for a good amount of time primarily driven off of my job at the time, which was in the field and summertime and having hair was the last thing I needed to worry about. It was oddly freeing even though I don’t think it particularly enhances my looks. I’m definitely in the “not Brad Pitt from the neck up” category.
I have a FULL head of curly hair. I haven’t had anything but a buzz cut for more than a decade. So much easier/cheaper to do it yourself.
#8. You’ll never spend any money/time at a barber again.
I’ve worn a buzz for the past decade with no regrets. The look is shocking at first & based on the shape of your head you may need length at the top to avoid looking like a pumpkin. I cut my own hair & now splurge on shampoo since a 8 ounce bottle of B&B or Aveda lasts at least nine months.
Great timing with this post. I actually just got a buzz cut 5 days ago after having MUCH longer hair for two years straight. Kudos
Used to get buzzed every few years. But then I got an awful in-between pic on my driver’s license while growing it out…which I’ve had for a couple years and still doesn’t expire until 2019! It’s been a constant reminder that has kept me from returning to this state of hair style.
Actually went the opposite direction starting in the spring (didn’t start at a buzz either), so rocking a pretty decent size flow. I can work it into a near-Patrick Bateman for the office, then side part and more natural blonde surfer look for the weekends. Can’t say the ladies have complained, so I can take a little more heat. Only downside is that mornings take a little longer.
I used to DIY buzz cut when I was at college. Now, when I see photos of my skinny self with the #1 combined with the army/prison surplus clothing that I favored, it makes a striking impression, shall we say.
I look like I am going to smash your windows and take your wallet with my hair that short (honestly – my daughter cries if I shave my head because I am too scary). Happily no sign of balding yet so I just sport a shorter version of my winter cut. Totally with you on doing it if you are thinning. One of my co-workers has a full on power donut and needs to make the plunge.
Ha! Don’t want to make the kiddo cry. That’s… that’s not good 🙂
Gah, the last article I needed. I work in a profession of professional haircuts (read: paramilitary) and finally grew out a respectable combover. I have been wanting to go with a buzz but don’t want to lose all of my hard work.
How did you manage growing it out without turning into a mess or a mullet? I am trying this and would like to know what direction to give my barber.
Honestly, hard for me to say — I go to an upscale (read: pricey) hair place here in NYC and, after I had been busy at work and then out of the country for a bit, my hair girl said she thought I should grow it out… and I just trust her, so can’t tell you specifics of what she does.
I started out with a pretty traditional shorter side part, and just let it grow. I think the key is just going for haircuts regularly still (I usually go every 3 weeks), but just have them shape rather than take much length off. It definitely it’s a “clean cut” look while it’s growing, but you can avoid the mess and/or mullet with the shaping visits. I still have a little ways to go length-wise on the sides before they stay back behind my ears well, but it hasn’t been terribly long (~3-4 months).
3 on top, 2 on the sides. Besides the coolness factor the cost and convinience is the best part. Haircuts take 15 minutes tops and you get their cheapest rate, I sometimes get the junior rate because the stylist feels bad for full charging me on a 10 minute cut.
I am definitely in the “pumpkin crew” so having it long enough on the top is required!
I used to buzz very short when I was younger, now I leave it a tad bit longer on top so my head doesn’t appear so round. As soon as my hair starts to touch my ears I know I need to find time for a haircut!
Thanks. I’ve always had a conservative short cut. But I’d really like to rock a Bateman-like coif. Unfortunately, I will probably end up looking like this guy: http://thenextjew.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1131875.jpg
A buzz cut looks lazy and boring. I would recommend a short taper fade instead.
The balder you get, the shorter it should be. 0.5 on the sides for me, 0 on top.
Used to buzz my hair. Then I hit high school and realized that I have a lumpy, weird-shaped head. Hair on top is the only thing that keeps me from looking like a peanut from the neck up.
On your suggested 8th point, a few thoughts….
1. Patronizing a local barber is an amazing thing. If you go to the same local shop for each cut, you’re supporting your own community in a variety of ways. You contribute to your community’s job market, tax base, and the overall ‘vibe’ of a neighborhood. There are two established barber shops with local flare in the neighborhood my wife and I used to live in before buying a house earlier this year, and I still make the drive to get cuts from the same shop. That shop contributes to the neighborhood it’s in, and that’s a good thing.
2. Going to an impersonal, chain barber where your hair is never cut by the same person twice isn’t an ideal destination in terms of overall experience. However, if you find a genuine local spot, it turns into a destination and not a chore. I LOVE looking forward to getting my hair cut, because it means spending time in a great shop where I get to read magazines, chatting with other regulars, watching whatever great thing they have on their screens in the waiting area, and then having a conversation with a barber who knows me.
For me, the bottom line is that you’re robbing yourself of a great experience by not seeking out such a quintessentially and classically male experience.
Just don’t part in the middle, and you’ll be winning that battle.
I also just checked my hair before posting this to make sure it didn’t look like that.
Definitely seeing some loss here at 30…
I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t stand being cut with hair clippers. I don’t mean to sound pompous, its just that your (my) hair just doesn’t grow well after that. For a summer cut, I go with something like this. short on the sides, but I can still style the top. Also having a regular stylist who you know you can rely on, really feels good.
I’m one of those #2 “harmless-looking with hair” people.
Unfortunately when I buzz my hair I look like a cross between the Nazi kid in American History X and Sinead O’Connor circa 1990.
I buzzed my own hair in college because it was cheap. Now that I can afford real haircuts, though, I’m not sure I’d ever go back. I like to go pretty short on the sides and back (3/8″ – 1/2″) but I need some length and shape up top.
Just be prepared for or try to protect from the sunburn if you go from long to buzzed in the middle of summer.
Not a pleasant experience to have the top of your head sunburned and even less appealing when it starts to peal and look like dandruff from hell.
fade down to no-guard-short on the sides, growing out on top. Best of both worlds.
(Ed: Although I should say my hairline is intact. The minute I catch a hint of balding it’ll be razor shave time.)
I was raised by a single mother, two aunts, and a grandmother. All of my cousins were girls. The idea of quintessentially manly experiences are completely lost on me.
That’s not to say your points aren’t valid – they are. I always had laughs when I went to barber shops; there are all sorts of characters there. The camaraderie is always appreciated. But those pros never outweighed the cons of waiting in line to get a cut. There was simply never any added value for me. To each their own.
pics or it didn’t happen!
Try three mirrors. it gets every nook.
But lining it up…. yeesh…. took me forever to master that.
fine
Sorry man . . . not with these ears.
Embrace em’ man! If Demetrious Johnson can go by “Mighty Mouse”… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demetrious_Johnson_(fighter)
Likewise, it literally took me years to master it.
Agreed. But the problem with a taper is…. it’s hard as hell to do on yourself.
Been buzzing my own hair for about nine months now. I’ll never go back to a salon cut. I’m 26, and definitely in category #6, so it makes sense and saves money. Now all I gotta do is learn how to properly fade it myself (difficulty level: expert) and I’m set.
I have a cowlick in the front of my hair, so trying to get any type of style to coordinate with the way my hair rests is quite the challenge.
I’ve been buzzing my hair since I’ve started to try and worry about my appearance, apart from the past few months (I grew it out a bit to try it again), but feel like going back to the buzz since it’s easier for my situation, and doesn’t look silly.
If you want to get the neck, razor and a hand mirror. Turn your back to the main mirror, lather up, and use the hand mirror to see the back of your neck. Lather up, and with a little practice, getting the neckline fixed up becomes a piece of cake.
If you can see my avatar, you can see a suit, a beard and a buzzcut work pretty well together, especially once you’ve really started to go gray. For some reason, a gray beard looks fine to most people, but gray *hair* is another story. Go figure.